The time has come to relinquish dreams of Fifa’s successor one day emulating old rival Pro Evolution Soccer – in part because its developer doesn’t want it to. Throughout the development of FC 26, EA met with a panel of influencers and community representatives to directly drive design decisions. The result is a football experience split into two. Offline it’s a sim, where ratings and fatigue come to the fore. Online, it’s purely an esport – fast, and furious, with shots and goals prioritised over William Saliba-calibre defending.
Offline, it’s a refreshing call. In career mode, for instance, matches are as sedately paced as they’ve been from any FC or Fifa in recent memory. Tactics matter. Stats differentials such as ball control, and vision, matter. Even weather effects such as wind and the state of the pitch matter, with the ball sticking and/or skidding on wet turf. Patient build-up play is welcomed, and it’s possible to unpick a defence without 17 flicks of the skill stick. There’s a cerebral feel long absent from this series.
Indeed, after some stagnant years, manager mode feels like the purists’ way to play. The new career carousel means results affect job stability, with bosses being sacked or poached by other clubs. For the first time, that leads to CPU-controlled teams adopting their incoming gaffer’s tactics, lending welcome variety. Added to that are random events such as training injuries, or one-off headaches – in my West Ham career, Kyle Walker-Peters and El Hadji Malick Diouf were ruled out of an away game at Arsenal due to “dodgy food”. Legacy issues, such as soulless cut-scenes, remain, but it’s a worthy alternative to the always controversial Ultimate Team.
Meanwhile, Ultimate Team – or FUT – has long been criticised as little more than a gambling mode, where the people who pay most to open the game’s Panini-like packs of random players, will almost always come out on top. This time, there has been a raft of fan-pleasing changes, such as levelling up goalkeepers using the Evolution mechanic, and the return of all-silver tournaments (online competitions that only let you use silver-ranked players). It’s possible to build a strong side without spending a penny: after one week, my squad already boasts Toni Kroos, Lionel Messi and Rúben Dias. However, those cash-dropping temptations of random packs remain, and will continue to be the series’ most divisive feature.
Gameplay within Ultimate Team adopts those “competitive” online settings, and aligns with longstanding community feedback. Prepare for basketball-style goal-fests full of tricks and shots on target. New goalkeeper AI and animations help keep the score down, but it’s still incredibly tough to defend. The lack of fatigue is especially challenging. In previous editions, keeping a fast attacker quiet for 70 minutes would mean he or she being subbed, rewarding your stellar defensive skills. Now they can run at maximum speed deep into injury time, nullifying strong backline play. Again, this is what the player base wanted, but it dilutes any sense of realism.
This frantic gameplay is more effective and enjoyable in returning five-a-side mode Rush. Myriad quality of life improvements make this as addictive as its distant predecessor, Fifa Street. Teething problems such as players rubber-banding their controller to ostensibly leave you a teammate short are addressed. Keepers make smart saves, and the default perspective intelligently tracks your player while still maintaining full view of the pitch. Here the lack of defensive capabilities are less egregious, and at present it’s the most enjoyable way to experience FUT.
FC 26 remains a strong package, despite its deliberate choice to abandon authenticity in the online space. There are still numerous gamers out there who crave realism, even in competitive matches. Yet while this represents a step backwards for real football, it’s unquestionably a stride forwards in the field of fan service. This is not the sim Pro Evo purists have longed for – but as an esports collaborative between the developer and its community, Fifa’s third follow-up achieves the majority of its aims.
